Rolly Romero mocks Devin Haney options as his payday plans dry up

WBA champion faces potential defense against Giyasov–Catterall winner after failed talks

Rolando Romero criticized Devin Haney after talks for a fight failed. The WBA welterweight champion could now be ordered to face the winner of Shakhram Giyasov vs. Jack Catterall.

“They were just lying the whole time. They said all of the stuff was right, but they wanted a way out because Devin doesn’t have a chin. They like to waste people’s time,” Romero told Fight Hub TV.

He then suggested Haney had painted himself into a corner.

“I never want to hear them call me out again or bring me up or any of that stuff. It is dead. It is done,” Romero told Fight Hub TV.

Romero’s frustration is easier to understand when looking at the bigger picture. Since upsetting Ryan Garcia to win the WBA title, he has appeared to target the highest-paying available fights rather than lower-profile mandatory business. None of the hoped-for bouts with Haney, Benn, or Pacquiao have happened.

That leaves a less attractive route. Mandatory contender Shakhram Giyasov is set to face Jack Catterall on May 23 on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven undercard at the Pyramids of Giza for the WBA regular welterweight belt, a secondary title that has drawn criticism in boxing circles but is still being presented as a world championship fight.

If the sanctioning body moves to clean up the picture afterward, Romero could be left facing the winner in a tougher fight that carries less commercial appeal than the names he has been chasing.

There is definitely a strong argument that Rolly is acting the part of the entitled champion. From the perspective of a mandatory challenger like Shakhram Giyasov, it’s easy to see why.

Rolly’s frustration seems rooted in the fact that he hasn’t been able to land a “ottery ticket fight. By chasing names like Pacquiao and Haney, he’s effectively trying to bypass the traditional responsibilities of a champion.

Giyasov has been the mandatory contender, essentially holding a ticket for a ride that Rolly refuses to start. When a champion ignores the top contender to chase cross-divisional money fights, it often comes across as a lack of respect for the sport’s structure.

Claiming Devin Haney is “running out of options” or “scared” is a classic diversion. In reality, Haney has a resume full of top-tier names, while Rolly’s championship status is often scrutinized because of how he obtained it and his lack of title defenses against ranked opponents.

While Rolly vents to the cameras about time-wasters, Giyasov has been forced into a holding pattern. Fighters in Giyasov’s position lose precious months or years of their prime waiting for a champion to stop looking for a bigger payday.

By being so vocal about only wanting big fights, Rolly has actually lowered his own leverage. If the WBA forces the issue after the Giyasov vs. Catterall fight, Rolly will have no choice but to take a difficult, lower-paying fight or vacate the belt.

If he vacates, he loses the one thing that makes those big-name fighters even look in his direction. It’s a cycle of his own making: he’s angry that the stars won’t align for a payday, yet he’s unwilling to do the blue-collar work of a champion by clearing out his mandatory list.

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